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(No Model.)

i H. K. NEEDHAM.

EARTH DIGGING AND ROGK DRILLING APPARATUS.

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U ITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM KQNEEDHAM, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHNB. QUAY, OF SAME PLACE.

EARTH -D lGGlNG AND ROCK-DRILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 244,819, dated July 26, 1881.

Application filed September 27, 1880. (No model.)

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM K. NEEDHAM, of the city of a St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Earth-Digging and.;Rock-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My vinvention relates to an apparatus for digging or drilling in earth and rock, combining an earth-digger, a rock-drill, and sandpump, with simple and effective machinery for operating them.

The invention consists ina shaft which may have continuous rotation, with one or more loose windlasses upon it, which windlasses may be clutched to the shaft to cause them to rotate therewith, or may be held at rest while the shaft rotates within them or said windlasses may a have rotation in an opposite direction to the shaft under the influence of the drill or earthdigger rope, whichis coiled around the windlass as it is drawn from it by the weight of the digging or boring tool and the vertical part of the rope hanging from the derrick block or pulley. The clutch of the Windlass of the digger and drill-is governed by an adj nstable cam,

which acts to release the Windlass when the tool has been drawn up a certain distance, leaving the Windlass free for a retrograde movement on the shaft, (while the shaft continues to turn forward,) and thus allowing the tool to drop to the bottom of the bore without any impediment and in a direct line. v In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my apparatus, showingthe derrick, shaft, Windlass, cables, and earth-digger. and sand-pump. (The derrick is of portable character, as shown, but any suitable construction of derrick may be used.) Fig. 2 is an enlarged front View of the shaft, with the windlasses and their attachments. Fig. 3 isan enlarged section at 0'0 ac, Fig. 2, looking toward thewindlass, and Fig. 4. is a similar section, looking toward the end of the shaft, both figures-showing the parts beyond the section-plane. Fig. 5 is a side view of the spring-clutch. Figi '6 is a section at w in, Fig.5, showing one of the heads of the windlasses. Fig.7 is a side view of the .lass G.

earth-boring tool, and Fig. 8 is an axial section of. the same, the former showing the locking-ring raised, and the latter showing the ring in its lower position to hold the blades of the earth-digger in the digging position.

The derrick-legs are shown at A A A. B is the earth-digging tool, and O the anger or tool stem.

The auger-stem has at the lower end the usual female screw to receive a male screw upon the shankof the earth-digger or rockdrill, for the apparatus is equally applicable to the drilling of rock or the digging of earth.

The earth-digger B consists of two semicircularblades, b b, with thelower edges, b sharpened to cut the earth, and beveled, and the cutting-edges curved on a convex line, as shown. Each blade is attached to a shank, b. One of these shanks may extend up for attachment to the auger-stem G, as set forth above, and in that case the other shank is connected to it by a scissors-joint, b so that the blades may be spread apart to discharge the contents.

In place of one of the shanks I) being hinged to the other, theymay be both hinged to a cen- 7 5 tral'stem or shank. The end 11 of the moving shank is carried above the hinge, to give means for holding the blades in the position shown, by means of a ring, D, whichslides down as a collar upon the hinge, as seen in Fig. 8. In place of the hinge b beinglocated below the end b it may be located at the end, when it will be seen that the ring, by engaging the shank below the hinge, would hold the blades in the position shown. 8 5 b b are valves to be used in the earth-digger when digging in mud or uicksand, said valves being of semicircular shape, with the corners hinged to the blades at b sothat theylift when the digger enters the earth and close when it ascends and retain the contents.

The auger-stem O has a ring or loop, a, or or- 'dinary rope-socket, for the attachment of the rope E. The rope passes over the derrick block or pulleyF and down to the loose wind- (I have shown it passing first to the under side of the Windlass.) The rope is coiled around the Windlass, so that by the rotation of the Windlass it is coiled up or let out in the process of digging or drilling. The Windlass 10o G- turns freely on the shaft II, except when clutched thereto or held stationary by a pawl, I, engaging a ratchet-wheel or collar J upon the periphery of the head G of the windlass G, or when it is held stationary or its speed checked by a strap-brake, K, fastened at one end to the pawl-beam 1, and which may be pressed against the ratchet-wheel J by the operator by means of the handle it upon it. The pawl I is thrown up into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, during the operation of digging or boring, except when raising the tool from the hole.

Upon the head of the windlass is a flange, g, which has an inclined face, 9 with matchet-tooth, 9 that is engaged by a dog, l, upon the clutch L. The clutch L works laterally upon spline or splines h of the shaft, so that it turns with the shaft, as usual, and has the usual lateral movement thereon. The clutch is moved by hand by an ordinary or any suitable forked lever, M, which engages in the circumferential groove 1 of the collar of clutch L.

N is a spring surrounding the shaft H and bearing at one end against the clutch to hold the dog I in engagement with the ratchet-tooth g. The other end of the spring N bears against a fixed collar, kg, of the shaft. Upon the shaft, outside the collar 7L2, is the cam-hub O, turningloosely upon the shaft, except when held stationary by adog, P, which is supported on the derrick-leg A. The dog I? engages in notches 0 upon the periphery of the hub O.

o 0 are arms projecting from the hub, by which it may be turned.

It is the cam, fixed upon the hub O, and consisting of an arm extending past the nearer end of the clutch, and an inclined flange, r, engaging a lug, l, on the clutch, to pull back the clutch and disengage the dog I from the ratchet-tooth g. The arrangement is such that as the shaft H rotates it carries the wind lass with it by means of the clutch, and coils up the rope E, lifting the earth digger or drill, as the case may be. Then, when the rotation of the shaft carries the lug l into contact with the inside of the cam It, the clutch is drawn back and the windlass is left free to turn on the shaft, and takes a rapid retrograde rotation, as induced by the weight of the tool and the vertical part of the rope hanging from the pulley-block, and the digging or drilling tool drops forcibly upon the bottom of the bore. As soon as the lug l escapes from the cam the dog I is carried by the spring N against the flange g, and when the rotation of the shaft carries the dog lagainst the tooth gflthe windlass is again carried around with the shaft, and so 011. As the excavation proceeds it will be evident that the rope must be uncoiled from the windlass a little from time to time to allow the digging tool or drill to descend to a lower level. This is done by turning the cam R, with its hub O, backward on the shaft, so that the clutch is drawn back alittle earlier in the rotation, and the tool allowed to descend before it has ascended to the former point of release, and consequently a certain amount of the rope remains uncoiled from the windlass and the tool will be capable of descending to a lower level.

When it is desired to draw up the earth digger or drill from the bore the dog P is lifted, so that the cam R, with its hub 0, will turn with the shaft, and the clutch consequently remains engaged, so that the windlass G turns with the shaft, and the digging or drilling tool is drawn from the earth. During the operation of drawing out the tool from the earth the dog or pawl I is down in the position shown in full lines, so that when the windlass is relieved from the clutch it will have no retrograde movement until the pawlis lifted into the position shown in dotted lines. When the tool has reached a proper altitude above the earth the clutch is opened by the hand-lever M. In lowering the tool again into the bore the brake K is used to limit the speed of descent, the clutch being still open.

The sand-pump is shown at S, connected to a loose windlass, T, by a rope, S,passing over a pulley-block at F. The windlass T (like that G) turns freely on the shaft H, except when clutched thereto by the clutch O, operated by the lever U, or held by the dog or pawl 1 engaging a ratchet-wheel or collar, J, to prevent the uncoiling of the rope from the windlass when the sand-pump is in an elevated position. This windlass is supplied with a brake, K, similar to that K, and for a similar purose. p It will be seen that either of the windlasses G and T may be caused to have all the de scribed motions while the shaft H is in continuous rotation.

I do not confine myself to any particular construction for the windlasses, but propose to make them with cast-iron heads G, with a circular flange, g, for connection with the ends of a tubular barrel, g. Y

H is a collar fast on the shaft to prevent the lateral movement of the windlasses. The shaft Hhas suitable journal-bearing. I have shown such bearings only at the ends; but it may have central bearing or bearings in addition.

I claim as my invention- 1. The loose cam-hub O, cam R, and dog 1?, in combination with a clutching device, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of shaft H, loose windlass G, cam-hub O, cam It, clutch L, lever M, spring N, and rope E, passing over pulley F, and carrying earth-digger B or rock-drill, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a loose windlassbarrel, Gr, shaft H, and clutch L, of the clutchrelieving cam 0 It, adj ustablc around the shaft H, for the purpose set forth.

4. The earth-digger B, constructed of two semi-cylindrical blades, 1), forming a straight and open-bottomed hollow cylinder, having curved cuttin g-edges bflsnbstantially as shown, and secured to arms I) I), connected by scissors-joint, locked by a slip-ring, D, all subcured to arms I) I), connected. by scissors-joint,

stantially as and. for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of valves I) b with an earth-digger, B, constructed of two semi-cy- 5 lindrioal blades, b, forminga straight and openbottomed hollow cylinder, having curved cutting-edges b substantially as shown,-and selocked by a slip-ring, D, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' HIRAM K. NEEDHAM.

Witnesses SAML. KNIGHT, GEO. D.'KNIGHT. 

